Dog park organizers seeking volunteers for Saturday

Shirley Morris walks her dogs Pepper, left, and Emma at Munny Sokol Park in Tuscaloosa on Friday. “I come and walk my dogs here every day, sometimes twice a day. We love the trails here,” Morris said. The Will May Memorial Dog Park at Sokol will have an official groundbreaking ceremony today.

Dusty Compton | The Tuscaloosa News

By Mark Hughes CobbStaff Writer

Published: Saturday, October 12, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, October 11, 2013 at 11:31 p.m.

Volunteers can help the Will May Memorial Dog Park come to life by putting their hands in the soil today. A work day and groundbreaking begins at 8 a.m. on the 2.5-acre site in Munny Sokol Park.

It's also a day for the May family to be recognized for its invaluable contributions, said Kimberly Krause, whose dream of a place for dogs to run leash-free, yet safe, set the wheels in motion. Physical work has begun on the site, so the groundbreaking is symbolic. Once fences are up, in about a month to six weeks, the dog park will have its grand opening.

“About a year ago I was standing here and sketching a dog park, before anything,” Krause said, “and now that sketch is becoming a reality. And that's really cool.”

Krause is executive director of Fresh St-Art, a not-for-profit group which designs and builds public community spaces, such as the Alberta Gathering Place. As interest rose for the project, Fresh St-Art joined forces with the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority, which operates Sokol Park.

The budget for the project is $163,000, including $120,000 from the city and a $43,000 donation from the Will May Foundation, which raised money through a 5K run in the spring. The park is being named for animal lover Will May, a 13-year-old son, nephew and grandson of veterinarians, who was accidentally killed on a hunting trip in January.

The larger-than-expected May Foundation money upgraded plans a bit, so the parking lot will be asphalt, not gravel, and sidewalks will be constructed inside the park.

“Ideally, that's how you want them set up, so people can exercise while their dogs get to run around, too,” said Gary Minor, executive director of PARA.

Some non-skilled manual labor opportunities will be available for the work day, he said.

“We've got a bunch of volunteers coming out tomorrow, but we don't know exactly how many,” Minor said Friday. “We're doing like a half-day, four-hour work day ... to rake up dirt, plant grass seeds, put some hay out.”

If enough people show up, volunteers will be put to work digging postholes for the fencing, which will be among the last bits of this first level of construction. Volunteers should wear closed-toe shoes. PARA will provide gloves and tools.

After the work day, and the next week of construction, it should be easier to tell when the park will have its grand opening, he said.

“We should have the parking lot and rest of the sidewalks done next week. Really, probably within a month, we should have everything up and going,” he said, though it might take as long as six weeks to complete the fencing, which of necessity must go up last.

“I think it's going to be heavily used; no doubt about that. I've been going out there several times in the mornings, just looking at what's happening, and there are a lot of people out walking their dogs, on leashes,” he said. “I think just the publicity of the dog park going to be there has encouraged them to go out get used to the place.”

Krause said she has been on site frequently and has seen the same thing: people out walking their leashed dogs, also driving by and pointing at the location.

“It feels so good to see people happy,” she said. “It's already spectacular. It's art. It moves, the harmony of it all,” after the Frank Lloyd Wright fashion of bringing the inside outside, and making it sing together.

“I'm very content. I'm seeing the unity and community already; I can see people laughing and playing and learning. It's just great because everybody's so into it.”

As with many nonprofit community projects, reality sometimes lags behind dreams, so Krause is considering this level of the dog park's construction phase one, with art and educational stations to grow onto it as funds arrive.

<p>Volunteers can help the Will May Memorial Dog Park come to life by putting their hands in the soil today. A work day and groundbreaking begins at 8 a.m. on the 2.5-acre site in Munny Sokol Park.</p><p>It's also a day for the May family to be recognized for its invaluable contributions, said Kimberly Krause, whose dream of a place for dogs to run leash-free, yet safe, set the wheels in motion. Physical work has begun on the site, so the groundbreaking is symbolic. Once fences are up, in about a month to six weeks, the dog park will have its grand opening.</p><p>“About a year ago I was standing here and sketching a dog park, before anything,” Krause said, “and now that sketch is becoming a reality. And that's really cool.”</p><p>Krause is executive director of Fresh St-Art, a not-for-profit group which designs and builds public community spaces, such as the Alberta Gathering Place. As interest rose for the project, Fresh St-Art joined forces with the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority, which operates Sokol Park.</p><p>The budget for the project is $163,000, including $120,000 from the city and a $43,000 donation from the Will May Foundation, which raised money through a 5K run in the spring. The park is being named for animal lover Will May, a 13-year-old son, nephew and grandson of veterinarians, who was accidentally killed on a hunting trip in January. </p><p>The larger-than-expected May Foundation money upgraded plans a bit, so the parking lot will be asphalt, not gravel, and sidewalks will be constructed inside the park.</p><p>“Ideally, that's how you want them set up, so people can exercise while their dogs get to run around, too,” said Gary Minor, executive director of PARA.</p><p>Some non-skilled manual labor opportunities will be available for the work day, he said.</p><p>“We've got a bunch of volunteers coming out tomorrow, but we don't know exactly how many,” Minor said Friday. “We're doing like a half-day, four-hour work day ... to rake up dirt, plant grass seeds, put some hay out.” </p><p>If enough people show up, volunteers will be put to work digging postholes for the fencing, which will be among the last bits of this first level of construction. Volunteers should wear closed-toe shoes. PARA will provide gloves and tools.</p><p>After the work day, and the next week of construction, it should be easier to tell when the park will have its grand opening, he said.</p><p>“We should have the parking lot and rest of the sidewalks done next week. Really, probably within a month, we should have everything up and going,” he said, though it might take as long as six weeks to complete the fencing, which of necessity must go up last.</p><p>“I think it's going to be heavily used; no doubt about that. I've been going out there several times in the mornings, just looking at what's happening, and there are a lot of people out walking their dogs, on leashes,” he said. “I think just the publicity of the dog park going to be there has encouraged them to go out get used to the place.”</p><p>Krause said she has been on site frequently and has seen the same thing: people out walking their leashed dogs, also driving by and pointing at the location.</p><p>“It feels so good to see people happy,” she said. “It's already spectacular. It's art. It moves, the harmony of it all,” after the Frank Lloyd Wright fashion of bringing the inside outside, and making it sing together.</p><p>“I'm very content. I'm seeing the unity and community already; I can see people laughing and playing and learning. It's just great because everybody's so into it.”</p><p>As with many nonprofit community projects, reality sometimes lags behind dreams, so Krause is considering this level of the dog park's construction phase one, with art and educational stations to grow onto it as funds arrive.</p>